Everything you need to know to sound like an expert in EV.
The recent explosion (excuse the pun, petrol heads) of electric vehicles onto the automotive market is hard to ignore. In fact, unless you've been hiding under a rock, it's likely that you'll have some idea of the significance of electrification in 2022. However, with great responsibility to environmental and technological advancements, comes an awful lot of perplexing terminology.
If you're bamboozled by BEVs and confused by chargers, don't panic! We explain 10 of the most commonly used terms in the EV world, so you'll be talking like an expert in no time.
1. BEV
Simply stands for Battery Electric Vehicle. Otherwise known as an electric vehicle to you and I. Easy.
2. PHEV
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle. A little more complex in it's conception, a PHEV is a vehicle that uses a standard combustion engine in conjunction with an electric motor and small battery. Like an full electric vehicle, a PHEV can be plugged in at a charging point to charge but has the added bonus of a petrol engine to boot.
Originally designed to ease nervous consumers into EV driving, a Plug-In Hybrid gives a taste of electrification without any of the anxiety about range. For this reason, it's the perfect choice for anyone who does a mixture of shorter commutes and occasional long drives.
If the majority of your driving incorporates short journeys such as the school run or town trips, the electric charge will usually be sufficient to get you from A-B. However, if you're embarking on a longer journey, you have the added peace of mind of a tank full of petrol that will kick in, even if you run out of charge.
3. Mild Hybrid
Similarly to a PHEV car, a Mild Hybrid runs on two energy sources - namely an electric motor alongside a combustion engine. Unlike a PHEV though, in a Mild Hybrid, the two source cannot be run independently of each other. They cannot be charged, instead relying on the small motor to power the engine. Mild Hybrids have a simple power train and offer modest power and efficiency gains.
4. Regenerative Braking
Unlike their ICE (more on that later) counterparts, electric vehicles do not rely solely on the brake pedal to slow them down. Owing to the inclusion of a belt alternator starter, energy is generated in EVs simply by lifting your foot off the accelerator. This then feeds energy back to the batteries, meaning that they are in a constant state of charge. Known technically as regenerative braking.
In many models, you can adjust the strength of regenerative braking and in some cases can even enter 'one pedal mode', which effectively slows the vehicle so much when you release the accelerator, that you don't need to use the brake pedal.
If that all makes your right foot feel slightly redundant, don't worry. You can, of course, still use the brake pedal whenever you like.
5. ICE
Nothing to do with the cold, wintery stuff, ICE stands for Internal Combustion Engine. Or any engine powered by explosions - so petrol, diesel or gas powered engines. Essentially a large air pump, an internal combustion engine draws in cool air, which is mixed with the chosen fuel to create power. This is then expelled as hot air, which translates into energy.
6. kWh
Kilowatt hours are the standard measurement for the size of an electric vehicle's battery. Generally speaking, the bigger the number of kilowatt hours, the more energy the battery can store and therefore the longer you can drive on a single charge - depending on the efficiency of your car, of course.
As a rule of thumb, a battery pack with more than 70kWh storage should allow you to travel up to 240 miles in one charge.
7. KW
A kilowatt is the standard unit for an electric motor's power. The more power in KW a car has, the faster it will accelerate. Kilowatts are also used to demonstrate how quickly an electric car charger can, well, charge your car. A charger of 50kW or more is considered fast. However, as EV technologies advance you may also want to consider...
8. Rapid Charging
Fast becoming the expected standard for emerging electric vehicles, rapid charging is the industry's answer to quelling range anxiety. Rapid charging points boast anything in the region of 100kW to 350kW of power and can charge an EV to 80% in just 30 mins. If time is of the essence for you, this is an important feature to look out for.
9. Range/Claimed Range
The cause of much anxiety (see above) amongst EV virgins and widely recognised as one of the main reasons drivers are hesitant to opt for electric, range is simply the maximum distance a vehicle can drive on a single charge. Often referred to as 'claimed range' in reviews and write ups, range is dependent on a number of factors, so can't be pinpointed to an exact figure. However, with some newer EVs such as the KIA EV6 claiming up to 320 miles of range, anxiety will soon be a thing of the past.
10. Torque
Another term bandied about in reviews, torque is a twisting force that causes rotation and is a major factor in a vehicle's acceleration speeds. Unlike their ICE counterparts, electric vehicles deliver maximum torque from zero revs, meaning they are capable of going from 0-60 in some spectacularly speedy times.